The man reportedly had an ankle bracelet on him. He is now being held on $150,000 bail.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on July 9, 2021. It has since been updated.
Trigger Warning: This story contains details of attempted sexual assault that may be disturbing to readers.
In today's time, parents are constantly worried about their kids, and they find it hard to sleep easy, knowing there are criminals lurking around in the dark. According to ABC12, a 5-year-old girl could have ended up in a dire situation, had it not been for her parents and their swift actions.
Daniel Diaz, a 39-year-old registered sex offender, allegedly harassed a family in Grayson, California, around 5 in the morning on Tuesday, July 6.
Martha Zepeda says her youngest daughter was asleep with her grandma in a back bedroom when the older woman told Zepeda that it felt like someone was watching them through an open window, per WLTX.
The man first knocked on the door and then peeked through the window, while he was touching his private parts. "He was in the living room window trying to peek in and he was grabbing his private parts and just looking around," Zepeda said.
The suspect, Daniel Diaz, is a registered sex offender on the Megan's Law website -- convicted of a 2009 crime of "assault with intent to commit rape." https://t.co/KyR2rQJiH8#KHOU11 #HTownRush
— BrandiKHOU (@BrandiKHOU) July 8, 2021
The grandma went to alert the little one's father, who immediately warned the man to leave the premises. They thought the man left, but according to deputies, Diaz went around the house, removed a screen from a window, and went inside the daughter's bedroom.
“The man turned on the lights, and that’s when my sister woke up and got scared,” said Ceci Ramirez, the victim’s older sister. "That's when they heard a giant, loud noise and that's when her husband went to go check," Zepeda said.
The father rushed in to tackle the offender, and he reportedly used duct tape to restrain him, while Ramirez called 911. “I was pretty scared because I thought the man would’ve taken him and kidnapped her,” Ramirez said.
Diaz was held for 15 minutes until officers turned up to arrest him. Diaz—a registered sex offender on the Megan's Law website— was convicted of a 2009 crime of "assault with intent to commit rape." The website said he was released from prison in 2018. However, the website also shows his status as "incarcerated."
Diaz is being held in the Stanislaus County Jail on charges of suspicion of home invasion, peeping and prowling, burglary, and child abuse. He's currently being held on $150,000 bail.
The family says they saw an ankle bracelet attached to his leg. While the victim's mother says her younger daughter is physically fine, the entire family is shaken up. “I feel like I’m not safe,” Ramirez said. However, she is mighty proud of her father for his sheer bravery.
References:
https://www.abc12.com/2021/07/08/dad-tackles-sex-offender-who-broke-into-5-year-olds-room/
Cover Image Source: YouTube | ABC10
